WWF, FISH, and BirdLife International will host a workshop on the implementation of the EFF and the opportunities for NGO’s to influence the fund at the Member State Level.
Background
The recently adopted European Fisheries Fund (EFF) provides a major opportunity to promote sustainable fisheries over the next seven years. The EFFโs 3.8 Billion Euro can finance activities from fishermen and fishing industry but also scientists, local communities and/or environmental NGOs. Moreover, the EFF can be used to support a broad range of measures, ranging from the modernisation of new vessels to environmental measures which protect and develop the aquatic fauna and flora. Until the end of the year, Member States are setting their national priorities and draft their implementing programs. It is essential that environmental NGOs actively participate in this programming process, as it will ultimately decide how the funding will be allocated and what kind of measures will be supported in the next financial period.
Aims and Objectives
The main objectives of the one day Workshop are to:
- Raise awareness about opportunities within the proposed EFF to finance environmentally sustainable initiatives, and in particular those benefiting NATURA 2000;
- Explain the implementation process, the allocation of responsibilities between Member State and the European Institutions and the time schedule;
- Outline how environmental NGOs and other stakeholders can engage more actively in the programming process; and
- Exchange knowledge and experiences from different Member States.
Participants
The workshop will be held in Brussels on 5 October. Participants will mainly represent environmental NGOs, in particular from the main fishing countries and the new Member States.
The interest in participating in the workshop has been very high, and we therefore don’t have any possibility to accept late registrations. Detailed background info on the EFF, workshop programme, and logistical info can be downloaded below.
Contact
For questions regarding the workshop don’t hesitate to contact us on the following e-mail addresses:
Magnus Eckeskog, FISH: magnus.eckeskog@fishsec.org
Markus Knigge, WWF EPO: m.knigge@wwfepo.org
Tatiana Sutiakova, BirdLife International: tatiana.sutiakova@birdlifeeco.net